It started with a Cub
by Mirsha
Summary: Fiyero is in love and he is determined to get to know the girl in question, the problem is...how? Multichapter, Musicalverse and Fiyeraba of course set after the Lion Cub scene. Rated T for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Note: This is my first multi-chapter wicked fic and (as usual) it's fiyeraba. It's a musical based fic, set at Shiz, between the Lion Cub scene and Elphie's visit to the Emerald City. All reviews are most welcome as I like to know what people think. Enjoy :-)

Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked.

Fiyero Tiggular couldn't remember the last time he'd been early for a lesson. Usually he swaggered, or staggered depending on the previous nights activities, into class when he felt like it, which meant he rarely caught more than half of the lecture. But today he was there ten minutes early; already seated and with his books neatly arranged in front of him.

It wasn't that he was particularly interested in biology; not the theory part at least. More that he was interested in one of his fellow students; a certain Elphaba Thropp to be precise; the exotically beautiful green girl who had, without any prior warning saw fit to steal his heart.

For an average girl, this was no easy task. Although, Fiyero thrived on the attention he received from the female species, and was no stranger to dates and even one night stands with the prettier ones, few had ever captured his full attention before. But Elphaba had done just that. Then again, she was no average girl; she was special, different.

He wasn't sure when exactly he'd fallen in love with her; perhaps the first time they'd met when he'd insulted her because he couldn't think of anything smart to say. Or maybe, at the Ozdust when he'd watched her dance with no accompaniment and been fascinated by her ability to be herself, no matter what others thought. But whenever it was, he knew exactly when he'd realised and he'd been unable to get that day out of his head since.

_They were standing in the gardens with a caged Lion Cub that Elphaba had insisted on saving; when no-one had offered to help she'd got angry and accidently cast a spell on the class but her magic had, had no effect on Fiyero and there he was. _

"_Do you think I want to be this way? Do you think I want to care this much? Don't you know how much easier my life would be if I didn't?" _

_He'd never seen her so animated before and, confusingly it made him smile_

"_Do you ever let anyone else talk?"he teased. _

"_Oh, sorry... But can I just say one more thing? You could have just walked away back there"_

"_So?" _

_He shrugged her comment off but part of him was already questioning his own motives? Why hadn't he walked away? Why had he stayed to help someone he barely knew when it was bound to get him into trouble?_

"_So, no matter how shallow and self-absorbed you pretend to be..."_

"_Excuse me" he interrupted, "there's no pretence here. I happen to be genuinely self-absorbed and deeply shallow" _

_She placed her hands on her hips defiantly,__"__No you're not. Or you wouldn't be so unhappy"_

_She'd seen through his act; looked straight passed his carefully crafted facade without even trying to. This realisation dawned on him, catching him off guard and, defences suddenly up, he turned to leave. _

"_Fine, if you don't want my help..."_

"_No, I do!"_

_She grabbed hold of his hand and a breath caught in his throat at the sudden contact. A desire stronger than he'd ever known began to course through his body. He looked at her then; for the first time he looked deep into her hazel eyes and he realised just how beautiful she was. Despite her green skin he'd always thought she was attractive but he'd never noticed quite how right he was before. _

_Elphaba moved away; drawing her attention back to the Cub "Poor little thing, its heart is trembling... I didn't mean for..."_

"_What did you mean to do? Why was I the only one you didn't do it to?"_

_There was that question again; the fact that he was the only not to succumb to her magic made him wonder. And wondering was almost like thinking. And thinking was something he most certainly did not do...did he? Sweet Oz, What was she doing to him? _

"_Oh look, you're bleeding" her voice broke his train of thought, "it must have scratched you"_

_She reached up to him, urging him to lean forward so she could get a better look at the cut on his face. _

"_Yeah... or maybe it scratched me"_

_He hadn't heard what she'd said; all he could focus on was how he felt when she touched him. How his heart suddenly raced in his chest; how his body tingled with longing; how he wanted to kiss her. _

_Their lips were closer than they had ever been and he yearned to lean forward and allow them to meet. But something stopped him; for the first time in his life he was afraid of being rejected. _

_He looked away, "I better get to safety... I mean the cub... get the cub to safety"_

He knew he'd always regret that sudden and very uncharacteristic lack of confidence; what if he never got that close to Elphaba again? What if he'd missed his only opportunity to kiss her; taste her; satisfy the burning that had housed itself inside of him? He couldn't bear to think about that, yet he couldn't seem to stop himself, so instead of trying, he vowed never to miss the opportunity to be close to her again; even if it did mean getting to class a little early sometimes.

As predicted, Fiyero didn't have to wait long for Elphaba to arrive in class. He smiled at her as she walked passed and took her usual seat in front of him. She half returned the gesture and his heart fluttered wildly at the attention.

"Good morning Miss Elphaba" he said in his most charming voice.

She didn't turn around, "Master Fiyero"

"You can call me Fiyero, if you like"

"Fair enough. Fiyero"

He waited for the suggestion that, in future he might call her Elphaba but it never came.

As silence fell over them, he realised that in his haste to see her, he hadn't planned anything to say. He searched for the right words but his brain seemed to want to punish him for the years of under use and he came up with nothing.

His eyes flickered to the clock; in a few minutes everyone else would be arriving and he'd lose his chance to speak alone with her. In desperation, he flung his pencil to the ground; it landed next to Elphaba's right foot with a clatter, evoking just the reaction he'd hoped for.

She turned around and watched him for a moment, then she raised an eyebrow questioningly, "Aren't you going to pick that up?"

"What?" he was so pleased to have caught her attention that he'd almost forgotten how he'd done it, "Oh, right. Yeah. Of course I am"

He gave a smile that appeared much more goofy than he'd intended then leant forward to pick up the pencil. He hovered for a moment before retrieving it; his hand was so close to her leg that if he just reached out a little further he'd be able to touch her.

He was toying with the various excuses he could use if he actually did this when she coughed loudly. He looked up expectantly, "hmm?"

"What are you doing?"

She didn't look impressed; confused, exasperated and of course, beautiful, yes. But not impressed.

"Um, I was...I was, looking at the floor" he lied, "it reminds me of the flooring we had back at home. In the Vinkus"

"You're telling me that the floor of your palace..."

"Castle" he got up quickly and scooted back to his seat before she had the chance to notice his newly reddened cheeks, "We live in a castle, not a palace"

"That the floor of your _castle _then_, _is the same as the one here?"

"Similar"

Elphaba shook her head and went back to arranging her books, "Strange family"

Fiyero hoped that Elphaba wouldn't remember this conversation if she ever visited his home, for the elaborate palace floors were nothing like the ones at Shiz.

The classroom began to fill up after that and before long the professor had started droning on about re-production amongst the various Animal groups. Fiyero barely even noticed him speaking; he was lost in a fantasy of Elphaba visiting his home. He imagined giving her the grand tour, wondering if she'd be impressed by the large and beautifully decorated castle he called home. He imagined introducing her to his parents, who despite their royal stature were a fairly down to earth pair; he was sure they'd all get on. And he imagined showing her his bedroom. He was just about to delve further into that particular daydream when he felt someone tap his shoulder.

"Huh?"He looked up to see his professor stood over him, one eyebrow raised, "what?"

He wasn't usually so rude but for once he'd actually been enjoying his thoughts and he wasn't too happy about having them interrupted.

"Master Tiggular, my lesson ended five minutes ago. Why in Oz's name are you still sat here?"

"What?" he looked over at the clock, his eyes widening as he realised the time, "Shit, sorry. I mean..."

"Just go Master Tiggular. I have enough problems with you when you should be here, without you hanging around after class as well"

With a sigh Fiyero got up and began to gather his things. Then he remembered what, or rather whom he'd been thinking about, "Elphie" he whispered.

He grabbed his books and ran out of the classroom, leaving an exasperated professor Collard to call after him, "No running in the corridors, Tiggular"

But Fiyero was already gone.


	2. Chapter 2

NOTE: Just to say a big thank you to everyone who read, reviewed favourited, etc the first chapter of this as it means a lot to me and makes me very smiley. This chapter is not by favourite by any stretch of the imagination; no matter how much I re-work it, I still don't seem to be happy so I'm posting it to see what you think in order to get on with the rest of the story, which is taking shape quite nicely (if I do say so myself hehe) Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this; please keep the reviews coming as they spur me on. Happy reading.

Disclaimer - You know the drill; wicked doesn't belong to me, as much as I wish it did.

"Miss Elphaba"

Fiyero had been looking for Elphie for at least twenty minutes when he finally caught up with her in the university courtyard. He found it strange that, for once he was the one doing the chasing, but he didn't mind. If anyone was worth his time, Elphaba was.

She turned around and a smile crept onto his face. She looked beautiful; her long, raven hair swaying in the light, summer's breeze; her sparkling, hazel eyes fixing themselves on his.

"Fiyero"

For a moment he just stared at her, lost in those eyes. Then her soft voice broke his trance.

"Did you want something?"

"I...I, um...what was the question?"

Elphaba didn't know whether to laugh at the prince's odd behaviour or walk away, and disregard it entirely. She decided, against her better judgment to stay and humour him; he seemed to have acquired the knack of getting her to do that lately.

"You called after me" she replied, "I asked if you wanted something in particular"

"Oh. Well, yes; I do actually" he flashed her, what he deemed to be his most dazzling smile, "I have a proposition for you"

The idea came to him as he left Professor Collards class; he needed an excuse to spend more time with Elphaba but, in the same instance, show her that he could be kind and even thoughtful, when he wanted to be. And this particular plan seemed like the perfect way to achieve both aims.

She raised an eyebrow, "You do?"

"Yes. I've been thinking"

Elphaba refrained from making a sarcastic remark. Fiyero certainly didn't act like the sharpest tool in the box but she had a feeling there was much more to him than his dumb _but extremely attractive_ exterior.

"You know how we rescued that Lion cub last week" she nodded, "well I thought there might be other Animals that we could try to help. Together."

He emphasised the word _together_ in a way that Elphaba couldn't quite fathom. It was almost as though he wanted to spend time with her.

"Just you and me?" she asked, before she could stop herself.

"Yeah; I thought it would be safer if only we knew about it, that way no-one can try and stop us"

Fiyero had never been good at encouraging people to see the reasoning behind his plans; they usually just went along with him because he was a prince. But he was pleased to find, his logic actually made sense this time. The last thing he wanted was for his plan to be ruined by the staff, or anyone for that matter, at Shiz. Since the Lion Cub incident, as he chose to refer to it, he'd become surprisingly interested in helping, and he imagined doing so with Elphaba would be fun; something he liked plenty of.

It wasn't until he saw the hesitant look on her face that it even occurred to him she might say no. When it did, he felt his heart sink in a way he'd never imagined possible, and his mind began to race with all manner of unpleasant thoughts.

What if she didn't like his idea? What if she didn't even want to be around him, let alone allow him to help with a cause that obviously meant a lot to her? And why would someone so beautiful and smart want the help of an arrogant prince anyway? Why would she _need_ it?

Fiyero's thoughts knocked his confidence so much that when Elphaba replied, he thought he'd misheard.

"What?"

"I said OK then"

"Really?"

"Yes, really" she shot him a concerned look, "You know I think there's something wrong with your hearing"

"Yeah" he smiled widely, oblivious to the meaning behind her words, "Maybe"

Elphaba shook her head but the Winkie's grin was infectious and she soon found she was smiling too.

"You're the strangest person I've ever met" she told him; _in a good way_.

"Well you're fairly quirky yourself" he retorted playfully; _but I like it_.

The sudden ease of the conversation allowed Fiyero a new bust of confidence and he decided to use it to his advantage, "Do you fancy going to the cafe? We can talk about our mission"

_Our mission; _Elphaba liked that.

However, she was unsure, even the Animals could justify a trip to the cafe; a place that most of the Shiz students flocked to for lunch dates. Spending alone time with her best friends partner wasn't the safest thing to do, especially in light of recent events, and the last thing she wanted was to hurt Galinda.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea"

"Why not?"

"I just...I have some studying to do"

"For which class?"

His question caught her off guard and she looked down guiltily, staring at the concrete below as she searched for a convincing excuse.

"Um, sorcery" she settled on finally, "I have a book to read for Morrible"

_Damn it._ Had Elphaba said any of her other classes, Fiyero would've offered his assistance; not that she needed it. But he knew nothing of sorcery; that really was a subject that required you to use your brain.

"Well can't you do it later?" he asked, sounding more desperate than he'd intended.

She looked as though she might cave in, so he played his strongest card and tried not to feel too guilty, "Think of the Animals; the sooner we make a plan, the sooner we can be of assistance"

Elphaba gave a defeated sigh; silently questioning what it was about Fiyero that always managed to weaken her resolve.

"Alright then" she agreed, "but I can't stay long, OK?"

"More than OK" his earlier smile, returned to his face, "I'll even buy you a hot chocolate"

"I'll let you off"

"Why? Don't you like it?"

"I don't know"

"What do you mean?"

The confused look Fiyero wore only endeared him to Elphaba, and she decided then, that she liked it when he played dumb.

"I've never tried it" she explained

"Really?" his eyes widened at her nod, "Well that's it then. I'm definitely going to buy you one. I insist you share your first time with me"

Fiyero froze; the words re-playing in his mind with a very different meaning.

"I...I mean..." he trailed off, swallowing hard, "You know what I mean"

There was no easy way to rectify his words, so he stopped trying, but his mind continued to wander, helplessly. He thought about sharing something like _that_ with Elphaba. He thought about holding her; kissing her; touching her.

"Are we going then?"

Elphie's voice pulled back him back into the real world with a sharp tug and he gave a nervous laugh, pleased that she'd chosen to overlook his strange performance.

"Yeah, yeah we're going"

Without thinking, he took her hand and started in the direction of the cafe.

"Fiyero?"

They came to a halt, not a meter from their starting point.

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

He followed Elphaba's glance down to their entwined hands and felt every muscle in his body tense, as he realised his mistake.

"Um..." his mind searched for the right words; for an excuse; for...anything, "I'm holding hands with you"; Anything but that.

"Oh" Elphaba wanted to leave the conversation there; she liked the way Fiyero's hand felt linked with hers and she didn't want him to let go. But she knew she couldn't just overlook it. "Why?"

He wished he could be honest; he wished he could tell her he wanted to spend every moment of every day with her; that when he pulled Galinda close to him and kissed her passionately he was really thinking of her; that he was holding her hand because he was in love with her. But a wish was all it was, because he was too scared to actually say it. He was scared that she'd slap him and run away; scared that she'd tell Galinda what a bastard he was; scared, above all else that she'd reject him.

"Because you're my friend, and sometimes, it's nice to hold hands with your friends" he cringed at his words and hoped to Oz she wouldn't notice, "Is that alright?"

She nodded and a wave of relief washed over him, "Good"

As they started walking again, Fiyero tightened his grip on Elphie's hand; revelling in the feel of her soft skin as it touched his own. And he knew from that moment, holding hands with someone else, even Galinda, would never feel right again.


	3. Chapter 3

NOTE - Firstly, thanks again to all my lovely readers and reviewers - you make me a very happy poster :-) I hope you all enjoy this; feel free to let me know.

Disclaimer: Same old, not mine, sigh.

**Chapter Three**

As they sat in the cafe, Elphaba could hardly believe how interested Fiyero seemed in their conversation. He listened intently as she told him about the Animals, his gaze never wandering from her, as she spoke. And what surprised her further were the questions, and suggestions he threw in; it was as though he'd actually been _thinking_ about it.

In truth, he had been thinking; he'd been thinking of the Animals; and of magic; and of anything else he could even remotely relate to her. His mind was charged with all things Elphie and, he had to admit that he liked it.

"So, they really believe taking away their rights is a good thing?" he asked, as Elphaba showed him an article in the Animal rights magazine she'd found

"It's what they want _us_ to believe" she replied, "That way they can cage Animals, without anyone putting up a fight"

There was a flicker of sadness in Elphie's eyes and Fiyero had to fight back the urge to leap across the table and hug her. He'd never met anyone who cared about others the way that she did before and he admired her for it, in a way he couldn't quite explain.

"That's bad" his brow furrowed in thought then, after a moment his eyes lit up, like a light emerging from the darkness; Elphaba would learn this often happened when he was struck with an idea. "Hey, maybe we could have a sneak around campus; see if they're keeping any more Animals caged up here. If they are, we could release them"

"That's a good Idea" she seemed pleased by his suggestion and he felt his stomach flip, at the possibility she might actually be proud of him, "We should probably wait until things are a little quieter though; I'm staying here over the holidays, so I could take a look around then"

"I can help too" he offered eagerly

"Aren't you going home?"

Fiyero shook his head but it was clear, from her expression that Elphie found this notion surprising, so he continued, in way of an explanation, "It's a long way back to the Vinkus and, to be honest, I prefer it here. The company's far better"

He could've sworn she held back a smile, but he didn't allow his mind to dwell on it.

"OK then" she agreed, "We'll have a look round together"

This time he smiled; both at the prospect of spending the holidays with Elphaba, and at the thought that she actually wanted him to do so. For a moment, he dared hope that his feelings were reciprocated, and he felt his heart begin to flutter wildly in his chest.

**************************************************************************************************************************************************

From the doorway, Galinda cast a suspicious eye over Elphie and Fiyero. They were huddled over what looked to be a magazine, clearly in deep conversation, and she just knew they were planning something; But what?

She wondered if it had something to do with her; after all, what else would they have to talk about?

Maybe they were planning to surprise her for being so good to them both.

She gave a squeal of delight at the thought and strode confidently to their table, secretly hoping to snatch a glimpse of whatever catalogue they were choosing her gift from.

"And how are my two, most favourite people in the whole of Oz?"

Both, Elphaba and Fiyero looked up in surprise; for once they hadn't heard Galinda coming.

"Um... good" Fiyero spluttered, "We're good. _I'm_ good, I mean"

"Yeah" Elphaba quickly scooped the magazine from the table and placed it on the seat beside her, "Me too"

Galinda smiled; it was obvious from the guilty look they shared that she'd been right.

"So what have you both been up to?" she asked, looking from one to the other, with a glint of excitement.

Elphaba swallowed hard; for once, unsure of what to say. She wondered why she felt so guilty, and why Fiyero _looked_ so guilty. After all, mission or no mission, they were just two friends having a drink. Weren't they?

"We had class together" Fiyero chimed in, "there were a few things I didn't understand so I asked Elphie if she'd go over it with me"

Galinda nodded, she didn't believe him for a second but she didn't push for any further information; she didn't want to spoil her surprise.

"Well that was good of her, wasn't it dearest?"

She took hold of Fiyero's hand and Elphaba felt her stomach lurch with a jealousy she hadn't, previously known she possessed.

"You must make sure you thank her properly"

Fiyero flashed a cheeky grin in Elphaba's direction, "Oh, I will"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt a surge of guilt shoot through him. Elphie's cheeks flushed a bright shade of red, and he silently cussed his own stupidity.

Of all the things he could do, to show Elphie how he felt, he knew flirting with her in front of his girlfriend was not one of the better choices.

"I should go" Elphaba stood up hurriedly, her eyes refusing to meet with Fiyero's apologetic glance, "I have to go to...to the library, for...um, for a book, I need"

"Will you be in later?" Galinda asked, but Elphie was already at the door. "Huh. I'll take that as a yes then"

She turned her attention back to Fiyero, who was gazing at the exit, as though he wanted to follow her through it. She gently squeezed his hand. When he didn't stir she squeezed it more firmly, digging one of her pink nails into his skin.

"Ouch" he turned to glare at his girlfriend, "What was that for?"

"I wanted to speak to you, but you weren't paying me any attention" she replied, her wounded expression, somehow making her actions seem totally just, "What's wrong anyway? You look all frustratified"

"Do I? Nothing's wrong, it's just..." he glanced towards Elphie's now empty seat and noticed she'd left the Animal rights publication, "Elphaba left her magazine" he announced, "I should go and give it to her. The magazine, I mean"

He swallowed hard, and hoped that Galinda would overlook his odd behaviour; however, it was clear from her expression that this hope was in vain.

"I can give it to her later" she replied coldly, no longer concerned about ruining her surprise, "We are roommates after all"

"But she might need it now"

"Then she'll come back for it"

She was right, but he wasn't about to admit it; he wanted to see Elphaba, if only to check she was still speaking to him after his earlier comment, "I'd rather be sure"

With that, he grabbed the magazine and quickly planted a kiss on Galinda's lips, in the vain hope it would stop any further protest.

"I'll see you later on, yeah?" he asked, as he pulled back, but he didn't wait for her to reply.


End file.
